


A Carter Special

by violetvaria



Category: Hogan's Heroes
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-06 02:06:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18378719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetvaria/pseuds/violetvaria
Summary: Carter is making something in his lab. Hogan is trying to figure out what it is. Carter-rambling ensues.





	A Carter Special

“Carter, what are you doing?”

Sergeant Andrew Carter wheeled around guiltily from his workbench. “Kinch said I could!” he blurted.

Colonel Robert Hogan leaned against the doorframe. “Said you could what?”

Flushing even more guiltily, Carter attempted to move nonchalantly in front of his latest project. Of course, this only drew the colonel’s attention more closely to the table. “It was Newkirk’s idea,” Carter protested, as though Hogan had said otherwise.

Hogan ventured a step closer. “What was Newkirk’s idea, Carter?” he asked curiously.

Now beet-red, Carter began fumbling both with the paring knife in his hands and with his words. “Um…nothing, Colonel…I mean…well, LeBeau said you knew!” he finally defended himself, looking back up at his commanding officer.

Hogan rubbed his forehead where a “Carter-headache” was starting to form. With a determined grasp on his patience, he said, “LeBeau said I knew _what_?”

Carter’s mouth fell open into an _O_. “Oh…well…I guess he didn’t _say_ you knew. But I mean he _kind of_ said—I mean, I assumed from what he said—at least—”

“Carter!”

The young man jumped. “Uh, I mean he said that everyone knew,” he offered meekly.

Hogan opened his mouth to ask again what it was that everyone knew, but Carter continued rambling.

“And I guess I just kinda figured that you knew—I mean, if everyone knew, then you had to, right, Colonel? I mean, you’re everyone—er, someone—I mean, part of everyone—right? ‘Cause if anyone knew, I mean everyone, it’d be you—I mean you and everybody. Right?”

It was a tribute to Hogan’s character that he wasn’t screaming by now. Instead, he took action to prevent the massive headache from spreading further. “Carter,” he said in his firmest voice, stepping close to the sergeant and looking straight into his innocent blue eyes. “ _What are you doing?_ ”

Carter blinked. “I was just making this.” He placed the cylindrical object in his colonel’s hands.

Hogan stared at it for a long moment, seriously questioning his sanity. “Carter,” he finally said slowly, “is this a _candle_?”

“Surprise!”

Colonel Hogan spun around in complete shock as his men began pouring into Carter’s lab.

“Happy birthday, Colonel!” Newkirk cried, leading the pack. Turning to Carter, he added, “Good job, mate.”

“Would you like some cake with that candle, _mon colonel_?” LeBeau appeared carrying a cake at least half his size.

“Wha—you—” Hogan didn’t realize he was sputtering until he caught the grins at his expense.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Kinch said as if that explained everything.

“Surprise…” Hogan nodded dazedly.

“For your birthday and all,” Newkirk added.

“But we had to keep you out of the way while we fetched the cake—which took longer because we had to avoid Schultz.” LeBeau looked disgusted but then turned a proud gaze on his creation.

“So we had Carter here keep you busy.” Newkirk looked pleased with himself and the others.

“Are you surprised, Colonel?” the boyish sergeant asked eagerly.

Hogan looked around in wonderment and finally threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah, I’m surprised. I’m definitely surprised!”

“Great! Light your candle; boy—uh, sir, it’s gonna be a doozy!” Practically clapping his hands with glee, Carter took the candle from Hogan and stuck it in the center of the cake. LeBeau sighed resignedly.

Kinch produced a match, and Hogan obediently took it and touched it to the wick.

And when the fireworks went off, they were _all_ surprised.


End file.
